Mohawk laminate flooring provides a lower-cost option to the richness of wood or natural stone along with an easy-maintenance product that will last for many years. Its ability to closely copy hardwood planks and ceramic or stone tiles makes it a popular product, but it is the durability, easy maintenance, and affordability are probably what make it most appealing to today's homeowner.
Mohawk offers five laminate flooring lines: the four wood collections - Hemispheres, Elements, Handworks, and Traditions - present 95 styles in various wood species while the Earthworks collection offers 18 stone designs. The stone and ceramic-like laminates feature tiles with beveled edges and the look of elegant stonework that provide for a more authentic feel.
Mohawk laminate flooring is sold with a pre-attached underlayment that helps to deaden sound and keep the floor warmer. The "embossed-in-register" design provides a realistic look as the photograph of the wood, stone, or tile is exactly matched to the textured surface of the material.
Mohawk claims to use more than 74% pre-consumer recycled content in all of its laminate products. That means that wood scraps from other processes are used in the core material of its flooring planks. Laminate floors use less wood than natural hardwood planks and is therefore thought to preserve woodland forests.
Other green-related issues, however, may arise in the adhesives and the petroleum-based resins used in the production of the laminate flooring. Also, because the photographic image of the wood on a laminate cannot be refinished in the manner of real wood, once the image is worn through, the floor must be torn up and sent to landfills.